Draft-rigging for railway-cars



w. J. REGAN.

DRAFT RIGGI NG FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 28, 1919.

1 ,339,714, Patented May 11, 1920.

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DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWA) CARS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 28, 1919. 1,339,714. 1 Patented May 11,1920.

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WILLIAM J. REGAN, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, AssieNon o THE MCQONWAY &TORLEY coMPANY, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or PENN-SYLVA'NIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

DRAFT-RIGGING FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Patented May 11, 1920.

Application filed August 28, 1919. Serial No. 320,453.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WiLLmM J. REGAN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Draft-Rigging forRailway-Cars; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to draft rigging for railway cars and is especiallydirected to the production of simple, strong, durable and efiicientmeans for securely connecting a car coupler and draft yoke in a mannerenabling them to be readily attached or disconnected. Generally stated,this object is accomplished by providing the coupler at the rear end ofits shank with oppositely extending projections, and by constructing theforward end of the yoke with a socket portion or hood having afixedshoulder or stop and a movable shoulder or stop, the said stops orshoulders being adapted to stand in front of the correspondingprojections on the coupler shank to thereby connect the coupler to theyoke, and the said socket portion also being provided with verticallyspaced inseparable faces adapted to embrace the rear end of the couplershank and to maintain it in proper relation to the yoke, therebypreventing the movable stop from being subjected to any unusual strains.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred form of my invention, thescope whereof is pointed out in the claims,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a coupler and yoke showing a form of myinvention, the head of the coupler being omitted.

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, ofthe construction shown in Fig. 1, a portion of the car framing and thecarrier iron for the coupler being also shown. r

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 is a section on the line 4-4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a viewcorresponding to Fig. 2, but illustrating the position of the couplerwhen assembling it with or disconnecting it from the yoke.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the car 0011;

pler and 2 is the draft yoke. The head of the car coupler (not shown)may be of any well-known or desired construction. At the rear end of itsshank 3 the coupler is provided with oppositely disposed verticallyextending projections, f and 5 respectively, which are preferablyfashioned as cylindrical trunnions integrally connected to the Shank 3.The upper projection or trunnion 4% is of somewhat greater height at thefront than at the rear, its upper face being sloped downwardly towardthe rear as indicated at 6. As shown in the drawings the inclined orsloping face 6 is preferably curved, the center of curvature beingsubstantially at the point of junction 7 of the coupler shank 23 andforward face of the lower trunnion 5 The lower projection or trunnion 5is of reduced size at its lower or outer end, its rear face beingbeveled downwardly and forwardly as indicated at 8. The inclinedorsloping face 8 is preferably curved concentrically with the slopingsurface 6 of the upper projection 4. j v

The forward end of the draft yoke 2 is provided with a socket orhoodedportion 9 adapted to receive the rear end of the shank of thecoupler. \Vhen, as shown in the drawings, the projections 4 and 5 areformed as pivot lugs or trunnions, the side walls 10 of the hoodpreferably diverge forwardly so as to impart to the socket a fiaringform permitting the coupler to swing laterally with respect to the yoke2. The socket into which the rear end of the coupler extends ispreferably separated from the yoke opening 11 for receiving the springsand followers or other cushioning unit (not shown) by a transverse wall12 which connects the side walls 10 and also the upper and lower arms,13 and 14 respec-, tively, of the yoke. The top wall 15 and the bottomwall 16 of the hooded portion 9 of the yoke are rigidly connected by theside walls 10 and also by the transverse wall 12 when such is employed.

7 Upon its interior the socket portion ofthe yoke 2 is provided with aface or shoulder 17 which is preferably sloped or curved to conform tothe sloping face 6 of the upper projection or trunnion 4: of thecoupler. lVhen the coupler and yoke are in assembled relationthetrunnions at the rear end of the coupler extend between the shoulder17 and the interior face of the lower wall 16 offt he yoke, verticalmovement of the rear end of the coupler thus being restrained.

lib

In advance of the lower projection 5 the yoke is preferably providedwith a lug or shoulder 18 whose inner face conforms to and is adapted toengage the forward face of the said projection 5. lVhen, as shown inFig. 5, the coupler 1 is being assembled, with the yoke 2 or is beingdisconnected therefrom it is supported and swings upon the upper,preferably sloping or rounded, surface 19 of the lug 18. In connectingor disconnecting the coupler to the yoke the carrier iron 20 whichnormally is attached to the car framing will be disconnected to permitof swinging the coupler vertically as may be required.

Cooperating with the fixed lug or shoulder 18 in performing the functionof connecting the coupler to the yoke is a movable block or shoulder 21which preferably is slidably mounted on the hooded portion of the yoke.

so as to be movable toward and from the lug 18 through an opening 22 inthe upper wall 15 of said hooded portion. This movable member 21, whichstands behind laterally spaced inwardly extending lugs 23 on the yoke,is adapted to engage the forward face of the upper trunnion at on therear end of the coupler to thereby transmit draft strains from the saidtrunnion to the draft yoke 2. If desired the movable block 21 may beslotted to receive a slidable gravity actuated bar 24 which is adaptedto move under a portion of the upper wall 15 of the yoke and thus lockthe block 21 against accidental displacement from its assembledposition.

The upper wall 15 of the hooded portion of the yoke 2 preferably extendsforwardly beyond the lower wall 16 thereof. This construction isadvantageous in that it not only 7 permits the movable blockor shoulder21 to be made of great strength and to be strongly supported againstdraft strains,

communicated to it by the coupler, but also allows the point about whichthe coupler turns when. being assembled with the yoke or disconnectedtherefrom to be located well toward the rear end of the coupler, thusminimizing the vertical swinging movement of the rear end of the couplerand thereby reducing theheight of the forward end of a coupler and draftyoke, said members being provided with means for detachably connectingthem to each other, and said means involving vertically spacedinseparable faces on said yoke adapted to engage said coupler andbetween which said coupler is interposed and separable shoulders carriedby said yoke and adapted to prevent forward longitudinal movement ofsaid coupler with respect to said yoke, one of said separable shouldersbeing stationary and the other movable into and out of position in frontof a projection on the rear end of the coupler shank when the yoke andcoupler are in assembled relation.

2. In a draft rigging, the combination of a coupler and a draft yoke,said coupler having projections on opposite sides of the shank thereof,said yoke having vertically spaced inseparable faces between which saidprojections extend and by, which said projections are engaged, and saidyoke also having separable shoulders adapted to extend in front of andengage said projections, one of said separable shoulders beingstationary and the other movable into and out of position in front ofaprojection on the rear end of the coupler shank when the yoke andcoupler are in assembled relation.

3. In a draft rigging, the combination of a coupler and a draft yoke,said coupler be ing provided on opposite sides at its rear withvertically extending pro ect ons one of which is of greater heighttoward its front than at its rear, said yoke having a forward endprovided with vertically spaced faces for engagingly receiving saidprojections between them, and said yoke also being provided withseparable shoulders adapted to extend in front of and engage saidprojections.

t. In a draft rigging, the combination of a coupler and a draft yoke,said coupler being provided on opposite sides at its rear withvertically extending projections one of which is formed with adownwardly and rearwardly sloping face, and said yoke having an inclinedface for engaging said sloping face of said projection and havingseparable shoulders adapted to extend in front of and engage saidprojections.

5. In a draft rigging, the combination of a coupler and a draft yoke,said coupler being provided at its rear with oppositely extendingprojections one of which is formed with a downwardly and rearwardlysloping face, and said yoke having an inclined face for engaging saidsloping face of said projection and .having separable shoulders adaptedto extend in front of and engage said projections and having a forwardend provided with top, bottom and side walls affording a socket for saidprojections, said top and bottom walls extending unequal distances inadvance of said projections;

'6. In a draft rigging, the combination of a coupler and a draft yoke,said coupler being provided at its rear with oppositely extendingprojections one of which is formed with a downwardly and rearwardlysloping face, and said yoke having a face adapted to engage said slopingface and having separable shoulders adapted to extend in front of andengage said projections and-having a portion in advance of said lastnamed face and on the opposite side of the coupler therefrom forming afulcrum on which said coupler is adapted to rotate when being assembledwith or disconnected from said yoke.

7 In a draft rigging, the combination of a coupler and a draft yoke,said coupler being provided at its rear with oppositely extendingprojections one of which is formed with a downwardly and rearwardlysloping face and one of which is of reduced size at its outer end, andsaid yoke having a face for engaging said sloping face and havingseparable shoulders adapted to extend in front of and engage saidprojections.

8. In a draft rigging, the combination of a coupler and draft yoke, saidcoupler being provided at its rear with oppositely extending trunnionsone of which is formed with a downwardly and rearwardly sloping face andone of which is of reduced size at its outer end, and said yoke having aface for engaging said sloping face and having separable shouldersadapted to extend in 9. In a draft rigging, the combination of a couplerand draft yoke, said coupler being provided at its rear with a pair ofoppositely extending trunnions one of which is formed'with a downwardlyand rearwardly sloping curved face and the other of which is of reducedsize at its outer end, and saidyoke having a face for engaging saidcurved face and having separable shoulders adapted to extend in frontof. and engage said projections and having at its forward end a top walland a bottom wall and forwardly flaring side walls constituting a socketadapted to receive said trunnions, said bottom wall at its forward endbeing provided with a curved surface forming a fulcrum upon which saidcoupler is adapted to rotate when being assembled with or disconnectedfrom said yoke, and said top wall extending forwardly beyond said bottomwall.

In testimony whereof I affix mytsi nature.

WILLIAM J. EAN.

